eaton



s. Enron, or PIERMONT, Assumes 'ro HIM$ELF,ALBON MAN, Oil-BROOKLYN, v s 'MAODONOUGH,'OF NEW YonK CITY.

NEW YORK. m) i Letters Patent No. 87,153, dated Fatwa r1123. 1869.

novnn'r 1-1-1 menus-s The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same- To all tqhom it may concern Be it known that I, A. K. EATON, of Piermont, in

the county of Rockland, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inthe Art of Manufacturing Steel and I do hereby declare the following to be such a full, clear, and exact description'oi' the-same, as will enable any one skilled inthe art to which my invention appertains, to work and practise'the same.- 1 \H The art of manufacturing steel, as now practised by those engaged in the trade, is so well understood, that any description of it here is unnecessary. It is only, therefore, left for me to describe in what icy-improve mentsin'that art consist The object of my inventionis-of course to produce.

a superior 'quality of steel, as cheaply or cheaper than it is now.produced-a steel possessing great uniformity of texture, softness, toughness, and a capacity to receive a ,uniformtemper, which may be varied "from a low to a very high degree of hardness. This object I accomplish, byuniting with ,the iron, in the process of its manufacture into steel, a small percentage of aluminum, in addition, tothe elements or ingredients now employed in the manufacture of steel.

In the practice of my invention, 1 first produce an aluminate of iron, by the combination of alumina and protoxidc or peroxide of iron, mixing themin. their equivalent proportions, sndexposing them to an intense hcat, in anyfsuitably-constructed furnace or crucible, until they fuse together; I'then fuse this aluminate of irona-in'contact with highly-carburetted castriron, adding, if. necessary, sufficient 'wrought-iron to reduce the proportion of carbon to the proper degree for the production 0fcast-stee1,.the manipulation of the material in the furnace being in other respects the same as in the manuiacture of steel aiter the old process.

In this process of mine,the carbon of the cast iron. by its reaction upon the alumina, and the oxide of iron of the aluminate, reduces them both to the me tallic state,,yielding an alloy of aluminium and iron,-

which cornbinee with thedecarbonized cast-iron to form steel. Ifthe amount of carbon-is n ot sufiiciently reduced by this process, then the wrought-iron is added, but'not otherwise. The method above described is more especially applicable' to the manufacture of steel in crucibles, andv is substantially the same'as that employed in the-re-' ,verberating furnace; but in the manufacture of puddle-- steel, I modify this practice'somewhat in this wise. I

first cover the bottom of the furnace with a layer of alumina, the upper 'stratuzribr part of which is mixed with oxidc'of iron, enough to fuse with and hold the alumina. I then heatthefurnacc to-thc required tern; gieratuseto partially fuse and consolidate thcv bottom preparedasabove. I then charge'the furnace with 1ron,and'manipu1ate it in the usual method.

as in the above-described process, and is afterwardreduced by its contact with the melted cast-iron.

solutely necessary to mix the oxide of iron with the alumina, for the alumina alone will be reduced by the action of the melted cast-iron; But in preparing the bottom of the furnace with alumina, it is important.

that some substance should be used with it, to cause v the adhesionof its-atoms, andoonsolidateit. in a refractory mass, and which will not. interferc with the chemical reactions of the furnace. v I.

The silicate of alumina, for example, in its, more refractory form, may be used as a substitute for the or.- his of iron.

The same result may he obtained 'by making the.

bottom of the furnace of lgqrick composed of alum united with some refractory substance which yield a brick capable of resistingtheheat of the furnace,.,and at the same time. leave the chemical client of the alumina upon the iron unimpaired.

The above-described practice of manufacturing steel with aluminium as an element therein, is, I think, the most desirable method of producing it. But this kind of steel may be manufactured by first making an alloy of alumina, iron, and oarbomand by then melting this alloy with wrought-iron in a furnace or crucible, sub- I now melt with wrought'iron, and obtain a very snperior quality of steel as the result.-

In either of the above processes, manganese, which is anessential'element of good steel, may be added, in the form of an aluminate of thisoxide of manganese, which may be produced and reduced in the some way precisely as in the case of the alumiuate of iron.

Having now described the nature and extent oi my invention,

What I claim' as new herein, and'de'sire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Manufacturing steel, by unitin with the iron from whichit'is produced, an alloy o aluminium and hot,- substantially as described.

2. The manufacture of steel, by forming an alumi.

By this practice, the aluminate of iro: isjirst formed In preparing the bottom of the furnace, it is not ab'- late of iron in a, crucible or furnace, and by reducing aid aluminate with east-iron, sim ltaneoiisly in said iu'naice or crucible, (adding wrought-iron if necessary) lms causing oxide of iron, 'aluminia, and cast-iron, to

ioxeacfiupon eaeh other as -to produce, successively, iliiminafoe of iron, aluminium, and the new alloyed :teel, at the fii'fierent stagesof the same process.

3. The manufacture of 'steel, by causing the reacfion of east-iron upon alumina. alone, or alumina comained with sub stanees that do not interfere with such Witnesses:

reaction, (asin the case of the base of alumina. :is'a material for brick,) thus effecting, simultziiieously, the.

reduction of alumina, a'ndthe deuu-h0nization of castin whole or in part, so as,to'p1'0duce steel or an alloy to be melted with wroiight-ii'on-to produce steel.

' v A. K. EATON.

Amos. Bnonnmzk, 4 'DAYLD' E. CRONIN. 

